BASF Plans to Restart Tetrahydrofuran Production Facility in Shanghai

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The BASF Group plans to restart improved its tetrahydrofuran (THF) production facility in Shanghai. The plant can use not only butane but also butanediol (BDO) to produce THF, thus improving its ability to provide industrial material to nearby polytetrahydrofuran production facilities. In addition, the same facility also plans to start producing maleic anhydride (MAN) at the beginning of 2010.

The THF facility is in Shanghai's Caojing District and provides THF to polytetrahydrofuran production facilities in the same district. The facility has a designed production capacity of 80,000 tons per year. It was closed in the first quarter of 2006 after a salt leak incident.

According to senior executives at BASF's intermediate operation headquarters, with the restart of the Shanghai facility, the increased supply of THF will make local production of polytetrahydrofuran possible. BASF now is carrying out proactive cooperation with spandex-fiber manufacturers and is considering further expanding its polytetrahydrofuran production facilities in the Asia-Pacific region if demand increases.

BASF has several THF- and polytetrahydrofuran-integrated production facilities. Its Asian facilities are in Ulsan, South Korea, and at Caojing in Shanghai. BASF's THF- and polytetrahydrofuran-integrated production facilities are also in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and Geismar, Louisiana, in the U.S.

BASF is a leading chemical company with products including plastics, performance products, agricultural products, fine chemicals, crude oil and natural gas. In 2006, the company's total sales stood at $77.2 billion. It has been a dedicated partner to China since the end of the 19th century and is one of the biggest foreign investors in the country's chemical industry. BASF employs more than 5,500 people and operates 29 wholly owned subsidiaries and nine joint ventures in China. In 2006, BASF's total sales in Greater China registered at $5.3 billion. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN).

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